Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first H145M helicopter to the Kingdom of Belgium. The aircraft is part of a wider procurement contract signed in 2024 via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to equip both the Belgian armed forces and the Federal Police.
Highlighting the growing momentum of the program, Belgium has also recently exercised its option for three additional H145M helicopters, bringing the nation’s total fleet on order to 20 aircraft.
“We are proud to celebrate this first delivery to Belgium and are deeply honoured that they are joining a rapidly growing community of European nations that trust the H145M for their most critical operations,” Head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters, Thomas Hein, stated.
The H145M is a multi-role military helicopter that provides a broad range of mission capabilities. According to Airbus, within minutes, the helicopter can be reconfigured from a light attack role with axial ballistic and guided weapons and a self-protection system into a special operations version with fast-rappelling equipment.
The comprehensive mission packages include hoisting and external cargo capabilities.
“This platform has become the definitive European reference for military multi-mission capabilities. Belgium’s decision to extend their fleet to 20 aircraft is a powerful testament to the deep trust placed in our team and the H145M's ability to meet today's evolving security challenges,” Hein commented.
The H145M is the military version of the light twin-engine H145 helicopter. The global fleet of the H145 family has accumulated more than 8.5 million flight hours.
The US Army employs almost 500 helicopters from the H145 family under the name UH-72 Lakota. Germany has ordered up to 82 H145M helicopters, with deliveries currently ongoing. Other military operators of the H145 family include Hungary, Serbia, Luxembourg, Thailand, Ecuador, and Honduras.
Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145M is fitted with a full authority digital engine control (FADEC). In addition, the helicopter is equipped with the Helionix digital avionics suite which, alongside flight data management, includes a high-performance 4-axis autopilot.